And there are persistent rumors Smith will leave Doctor Who after the sixth series (even though co-star Karen Gillan has emphatically denied this). DW head writer Steven Moffat also writes Sherlock, and their working partnership sets up Cumberbatch as a prime candidate to replace Smith when the day comes. In a video interview a week ago, Digital Spy just came out and asked Cumberbatch if he was joining Doctor Who. The actor’s deeply ambiguous response only fanned the flames of the web chatter:

Not an episode. Did you hear that? Not AN episode. Maybe two episodes. Possibly three. Hell, perhaps a whole series! But not AN episode.

Like Matt Smith, Cumberbatch looks like a totally shaggable alien. He has an angular face, gorgeous reptilian eyes, and a black-coffee voice that commands you to shimmy out of your panties. But Benedict also has a sinister demeanor that might be more appropriate for the Master, as a few YouTube posters have said. Anyway, I still hold to my prediction that Damian Lewis will play the Twelfth Doctor, finally giving the Timelord the ginger locks he’s always wanted.

If Sherlock maintains its massive ratings success, Cumberbatch could be locked up in that series for quite some time. Check out some cool videos promoting Sherlock, including another interview with Benedict and a trailer: